


Displaced

by riverchic1998



Series: Azure Ray [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-12
Updated: 2012-10-12
Packaged: 2017-11-16 04:33:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/535542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riverchic1998/pseuds/riverchic1998
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Seers in a coven associated with the new Watcher’s Council sense high supernatural activity in Forks, Washington, Buffy and Dawn are sent to determine the cause, which turns out to be more than the garden variety Hellmouth: an entirely new breed of wolf shapeshifters and vampires with superpowers, one who has a human girlfriend with a story dangerously similar to her own. Buffy is set on protecting Bella - both from ravenous, nomad vampires and from the mistake of falling in love with Edward.</p><p>But protecting Bella is harder than she thought it would be, especially when Buffy has promises and secrets of her own to keep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There will be more detailed notes and acknowledgments at the end of the fic, but I wanted to get a few things out here first. This is my attempt to both make fun of Twilight and make it more “realistic”, sparkly vampires aside. I stayed true to Twilight canon as much as I could but changed a few details since I added the BtVS fandom. Even if you don’t like Twilight, I hope you’ll give this a chance. Hope you enjoy.

  
...................................  
  
Buffy wasn’t impressed with Forks, Washington. She didn’t get the small town appeal. After being born and raised in L.A. then moving to Sunnydale, a nice sized town by California standards, then brief stints in major cities in Europe, she was spoiled. While she enjoyed the quiet sometimes, she liked the noise big crowds provided. Being in a town of three thousand people was going to drive her crazy, and she hadn’t even gotten to the city proper yet.  
  
She and Dawn flew into Seattle that morning, which was about a three hour drive away. While she wasn’t a fan of teleporting, Buffy wished she hadn’t protested so hard when Willow offered. She forgot how much she hated flying.  
  
Their first stop in Forks was the small house the Council rented for them for the duration of their stay. She needed to enroll Dawn in the local high school and then unpack the boxes they shipped ahead of their arrival. It wasn’t much, mostly clothes, books, weapons, and personal items. Buffy hoped they wouldn’t be staying long.  
  
When they finally passed the sign proclaiming they were now in the city limits of Forks, Buffy made a face. After being told her destination, Buffy had made a smart ass comment about whether or not there was a nearby town of Spoons. She got glares, a lecture on the reasoning behind the town name, and was forced to promise not to make the joke while in town. It was still a weird name.  
  
“You can’t let that go, can you?” Dawn asked, amused.  
  
“Sunnydale was ironic and endearing after a while,” she replied. “I just can’t believe I’m stuck in a tiny town called _Forks_.”  
  
“The drive was pretty. Enjoy the scenery for a while. Maybe you can even relax.”  
  
Buffy shook her head as she looked around Main Street. “I’m here looking for a Hellmouth, Dawnie. There’s no time to relax.”  
  
Dawn rolled her eyes and started to observe the town herself. They passed the high school and Buffy turned into the parking lot. Dawn looked over at her in confusion. “What are you doing? I thought we were going to the house first.”  
  
“We might as well get this part over. God knows we’re both dreading it.”  
  
While they were here to find out if there really was a Hellmouth or another reason for the supernatural activity in the area, they needed a cover, especially in a town so small. Even though Dawn hadn’t technically graduated high school in Sunnydale because of the whole _First opening the Hellmouth_ thing, Wood assured her that he saved all grades to a hard drive and brought it with him from the school. Dawn finished her education with private tutors and even took college classes from universities all over Europe online. She agreed, albeit reluctantly, to enroll in the high school to see if she could discover anything amiss.  
  
Buffy’s cover in the town was thought up by Andrew, which should have sent warning bells off in her mind immediately. She was an author that was writing some sort of book on the Washington wilderness. It meant she could “work” from home, be alone, and if they came across her in the woods, she would have a ready excuse. The problem was there was plenty of “wilderness” here, but Buffy didn’t _know_ enough – or anything - about the wilderness to pull this off.  
  
She sighed when she put the car in park and got out. It was overcast and the gray skies didn’t help make the brick buildings look any more cheerful. Dawn stood next to her. “Is it sad that I miss Sunnydale?”  
  
Buffy’s phone rang and she started digging through her purse. “At least with Sunnydale you knew the school was evil. Here it’s unexplored,” she replied distractedly as she looked at the number calling. With a sigh, she ignored the call and continued on towards the school.  
  
Dawn just gave her an irritated look. “Thanks for the pep talk. You do remember we’re here looking for a Hellmouth?”  
  
“Hey,” Buffy retorted as they began walking to the office doors, “I distinctly remember Giles saying there were other possibilities.”  
  
“And I remember him saying _but more than likely it is a Hellmouth_.”  
  
Buffy didn’t reply as they headed inside and were surrounded by bustling teenagers. They managed to come right between changes of class and more than once she curbed the urge to shove people out of the way. She missed students knowing she could throw them into walls easily.  
  
After some maneuvering, they made it to the office and Buffy started the process of filling out the numerous forms Dawn needed. Thanks to Willow, they had papers for Dawn that were accepted with no fuss.  
  
The door to the office opened and both Dawn and Buffy looked over. A boy with light hair and an easy smile on his face walked in and handed papers to the woman behind the desk. He hitched his backpack up higher when he saw the two sisters out of the corner of his eye. Buffy snorted and went back to filling out the forms.  
  
The secretary waved Dawn up and Buffy motioned her forward.  
  
“This is Michael Newton. He can give you a quick tour. He has study hall this period.”  
  
Dawn looked back to Buffy, who nodded. It would take a while for the papers to be filled out anyway. It was a half hour before her tour guide brought her back to the office. Buffy tried, and failed, to keep the grin off her face.  
  
“So, you totally snuck around to the deserted side of the building to make out, didn’t you?” Buffy asked in a low voice when Dawn sat down next to her. The forms were in a neat stack next to her, along with some fliers about the school.  
  
Dawn glared at her. “No. He just showed me around. A high school is a high school.”  
  
Buffy snorted but didn’t reply. Soon after that, the secretary called them back and Buffy was relieved by the anti-Snyder principal. He gave a generic ‘Welcome to Forks High School’ speech and made sure all Dawn’s questions were answered. It didn’t take long and soon they were out the door, with Dawn starting classes the following Monday.  
  
By the time they started walking towards their rented car, it was lunch and students were gathering outside. The sun was still hidden by the clouds, but that didn’t stop students from treating it like a sunny day. A group of boys played Frisbee and some girls were sitting at picnic tables going over a magazine.  
  
Dawn got in the car first, but Buffy paused. Someone was watching her. She could feel their gaze. Casually, she turned around and found the person who was staring at her. He wasn’t familiar and was turned towards a girl a bit shorter than him with dark brown hair. While she spoke, her eyes paid more attention to the ground in front of her than the boy she was walking with. He was focused on Buffy. She frowned and figured it was some teenage crush, but the gaze was almost too intense for that.  
  
Buffy shrugged it off and got in the car, listening to Dawn grumble about going to high school all over again.  
  
...................................  
  
It wouldn’t look natural to have a crossbow slung around her shoulder, so she was carrying a shotgun. No one would question it because of the bears and wolves that roamed the area. Since this was one of her first times out in the woods, she wanted to go during the day, just in case she did get caught by some nasty thing that went bump in the night.  
  
Buffy was glad she’d worn tennis shoes. Gone were the days where she patrolled a nice, flat area with lots of visibility and little trees. Even if she did manage to find a demon or a vampire here, it was going to be like running a triathlon to catch the damn thing. The shotgun would come in handy in slowing it down.  
  
She’d been walking for a few hours with nothing but birds and small animals for company. Dawn wanted to spend her last weekend of freedom, as she was putting it, watching television and chatting online with the rest of the Scoobies, lamenting her fate to them.  
  
Buffy froze. She heard a twig snap, very faint but noticeable to her hearing. When she heard another crunch, she spun around and took aim with her shotgun. She froze when she came face to face with a very large, very growl-y wolf.  
  
She hesitated in pulling the trigger and the beast hesitated in charging her. They were engaged in a staring contest. Buffy looked deep into the wolf’s eyes and was shocked at what she saw. This wasn’t an ordinary wolf. She saw humanity in its eyes, something she’d seen in Oz when he wolfed out. But there was no madness there, no rage. Just... humanity. It was oddly like looking into Giles’ eyes when he’d been turned into the demon by Ethan. His body was a demon’s, but the eyes were his own.  
  
“You’re aware,” she said, partly in caution and partly in confusion. If she had been wrong, the wolf would have either charged or run, and instead she saw surprise. She shook her head, realizing her words could have been confused. “I mean, you’re a were, too, like a werewolf but you’re also aware as in aware of everything.”  
  
Buffy paused. Saying the creature in front of her was a werewolf wasn’t correct. “The full moon is nine days away,” she reasoned out loud. “And it’s day time.”  
  
She finally gave up and lowered the shotgun a bit. “Okay, what the hell is going on?”  
  
The wolf backed up a bit, but instead of turning to run, he just gave himself more room. Where there was a wolf, a man slowly started to form. A naked man. A naked, hot younger man.  
  
Buffy’s eyes widened and she spun around, feeling her cheeks flush. “Give a girl a warning next time, will you? I didn’t know this creature feature came with naked, salty goodness.”  
  
“Who are you?” the man asked firmly. He didn’t sound the least bit intimidated by her and her gun, but if she could shift into a big ass wolf, she wouldn’t scared of a small woman and a gun either.  
  
“Um,” she said, trying to turn so he could hear her but no so much that she got an eyeful. “My name is Buffy.”  
  
“What are you and what are you doing here?”  
  
He sounded pissy, and that made her pissy. She didn’t ask to tromp around in the woods for hours looking for something that might not even be here. Well, now that there were werewolves in her midst or some form of shape-shifter, she guessed there was, damn it.  
  
“I’m human, buddy, and last time I checked, this is a free country.” In her irritation, she momentarily forgot that the person she was talking to was naked, and Buffy turned around in a huff. She quickly looked away and covered her eyes. That time she’d seen he was a bit too young to be called a man. “Good God, are you even legal? Can’t you put on clothes or something? A leaf, maybe?”  
  
Through her fingers-because she couldn’t help it, she was totally looking-she saw him hold back a grin. It was gone in a flash and stone-faced man-boy came back. “I asked you what you were doing here.”  
  
“I’m taking a stroll through the woods. What are you doing, chasing your tail?” she sniped.  
  
Clearly, neither knew what to do. He knew he was caught changing from a wolf form and she knew she was caught knowing exactly what he was. Awkward silence followed.  
  
“So, are you going to tell me how you can shift in the middle of the day a week away from a full moon?” Buffy cautiously took her hand away from her eyes and focused on keeping her line of sight above his crossed arms. He was as bad as Spike when it came to not caring about being naked.  
  
“Are you going to tell me why you thought I was a werewolf and how you knew I was human?”  
  
“I asked first.”  
  
Buffy couldn’t tell if he was amused with her or irritated, but he answered anyway. “I’m not a werewolf; I’m a shape-shifter. Wolf is the choice of me and my people.”  
  
Her eyebrow went up. “You and your people? There are more of you?”  
  
He shook his head firmly, his jaw set. He could give Willow a run for her money with that resolve face. “I answered your question, now you answer mine.”  
  
It was true, and with a sigh, Buffy explained. “I thought you were a werewolf because I’ve been around werewolves before. They may act savage but there’s humanity in their eyes. You had it, but you also had awareness. You didn’t look at me like a snack. That’s why I stopped.” Then she paused, something occurring to her. “And you stopped, despite me having a shotgun aimed at you. Why?”  
  
A small grin turned up the side of his lips. “You couldn’t have shot me.”  
  
Her eyebrow went up. Cocky much? “Um, excuse me? I’m a damn good shot, I’ll have you know.”  
  
He shook his head, the grin getting a bit wider. “I didn’t doubt your aim, just your gun. The safety is still on.”  
  
Buffy blinked and looked down at the shotgun, a sense of dread washing over her when she saw the safety was indeed still engaged. “Damn it.”  
  
His stoic facade finally cracked and he chuckled. Buffy figured now that the ice was mostly broken and they’d decided not to kill each other, that they should at least know each other’s names. She held out her hand as a peace offering. “Buffy Summers.”  
  
If he thought her name was weird, he didn’t say anything. “Sam Uley.”  
  
“Sorry about the whole shotgun thing, even if the safety was on. The only guns I’m used to are tranquilizers, and ours don’t have a safety. My weapon of choice is the crossbow.”  
  
Sam did look at her strangely at that. “It’s no problem. Do much hunting with your crossbow?”  
  
Buffy realized she came across as a hunter of some sort and winced. “Well, sort of. I don’t hunt deer or bears or whatever.” She thought she could just come out and say she was the slayer because it wasn’t exactly like Sam wouldn’t believe her, but she was erring on the side of caution for once.  
  
“What else would you hunt?”  
  
“Other...things, but this was only for my protection when it did come to deer and bears, not that I expect a deer to charge me or anything. At least I don’t think they would.” She looked away, trying to recall anything about dangerous deer. The only deer-related thing she could think of was Bambi, and that was no help. She decided to change the subject. “So, have you been a shifter your whole life?”  
  
This time, Sam seemed to hesitate, and Buffy knew he was trying to tell if she could be trusted. “Look, I’ve seen some damn near crazy things in my life, but this doesn’t even scratch the surface. If you don’t want to tell me anything, that’s fine. I’ll just go on my way and if we ever cross paths, I’ll act surprised and never mention I’ve seen you naked.”  
  
Sam chuckled and some of the tension from his broad shoulders released. “It’s not that I’m worried you will tell, but it’s dangerous if you know.”  
  
Buffy snorted. “Please. If I stayed away from dangerous things, I would be sipping Mai-Tais on the California beach right about now without a care in the world. Instead I’m hiking around this god-forsaken forest in the middle of nowhere, Washington. Do I look like the camping type?”  
  
He shook his head, but still was hesitant. “Why do you hunt with a crossbow and not a gun?” he asked, throwing Buffy off. Her spidey sense wasn’t tingling, and while she’d been searching for signs of aggression, she’d seen none. If he was going to come at her, he wouldn't have told her the safety was off on the gun.  
  
Plus, if he did go blabbing to people that she was the slayer, he would have to explain how he knew, and the whole episode of him changing into a really big puppy probably wouldn’t go over really well.  
  
In answer to his question, Buffy shrugged nonchalantly. “You can’t exactly kill vampires with bullets, now can you?”  
  
She was not expecting Sam to outright smile with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “You kill vampires?” he asked, almost excitedly.  
  
“Uh, yeah. It’s in my job description. Slayer comma the. The one chosen to fight the forces of darkness, which is more often than not the undead community who likes to chomp on necks of unsuspecting victims.”  
  
“In answer to your question from earlier, I’ve been a shifter only recently... since the vampires arrived.”  
  
That was a surprise. “There are vampires here and you know about them? And they cause you to shift? I’ve never heard of any vampires doing that before. Ever. And I’ve known a lot of vampires.”  
  
“My people, the Quileutes, are protectors of this land. Whenever vampires settle here, the young males become wolves so we may better protect our people should the Cold Ones not honor the treaty.”  
  
Buffy blinked, trying to digest all he’d told her. “So, wait, you have a peace treaty with the vampires? To do what? Stay off each other’s hunting grounds?”  
  
Sam shook his head, a mild look of disgust coming over his features. “I’m a human who can shift into a wolf; I do not live like a wolf if I do not have to. I was walking along the treaty line to make sure the Cold Ones didn’t pass into our territory. The vampires here do not feed off of humans and kill them, and until they do, we will not go after them.”  
  
Now she was even more confused. “So how do they eat? Last I checked vampires needed blood to survive.”  
  
“They feed off animals in the forest; not human blood.”  
  
“So there is more than one vampire here?”  
  
“Our last count was seven.”  
  
She shook her head. She’d never heard of a nest that size living off of animals and not making trouble. It was mind-blowing. If only the Sunnydale vamps had been so nice and courteous. “And they’re members of the town? Does anyone else know they are vampires?”  
  
Sam shook his head, and Buffy could tell he didn’t like speaking of them, but she really needed this information, and needed to double check her source. “They mostly keep to themselves, but the coven leader is a doctor at the hospital. His name is Cullen.”  
  
This time, her jaw dropped. “A vampire is working at the hospital?” Now she started to pace, the shotgun slung over her shoulder and forgotten. Had she stepped into an alternate reality or something? Was there a portal she walked into unknowingly? What kind of vampire was a working member of society, especially in a place where people came in covered in blood and needing medical attention?  
  
She stopped, coming up with an idea to go to the hospital and see this Dr. Cullen herself. A bit of holy water and her trusty cross necklace accidentally shoved against his skin would do just nicely.  
  
“You’re not going to confront the Cold Ones, are you?” Sam asked, looking at her nervously.   
  
While she wasn’t about to go run at them with stakes, she certainly needed to get the scoop about the not-so-normal town of Forks.“I can take care of myself. If I can’t, I’ll just take a quick trip to the hospital to make sure I’m fine.”  
  
“Buffy,” Sam said, grabbing her arm as she started to walk away. “I can’t allow you to do that.”  
  
She slowly turned to face him, her own resolve face firm. “See, that’s where you’re wrong. You can’t order me about, puppy.”  
  
His glared hardened and his grip tightened, but with a burst of strength, she managed to shrug her arm out of his hand and started walking away. For a moment, she thought Sam was going to let her go, but suddenly, Buffy tensed, her senses going into overdrive.  
  
Sam leaped over her, body morphing into a wolf’s larger frame with ease. The wolf turned to face her, haunches slightly raised and ears perked up. Slowly, Buffy reached around on the shotgun and switched the safety off.  
  
“Don’t do this, Sam,” she said, trying to plead with him yet remain firm. “It’s not going to end well, and I’ll have to go to the hospital anyway.”  
  
Sam growled and his fur started to stand on end. Buffy gripped the shotgun and while she wasn’t planning on shooting him, the butt of the gun would work just as well against the side of his head. Just as he was about to pounce, a roar from her right sounded loudly.  
  
Buffy’s eyes widened as she saw a bear stand on its hind legs and growl into the air. A smaller, high pitched whine sounded from her left, and her head whipped around to the new sound. Two cubs were between the trees about thirty feet out, and between momma bear and baby bear was Buffy and Sam.  
  
She fired the gun away from the bears and Sam, hoping a warning shot would chase the bear away. It scared the cubs, but the mother was enraged that her children were running from her. Buffy used this as a sign to get the hell away and took off at a run. Since the bear charged between her and Sam, he was forced to go the other way, clearly not wanting to fight the mother. It was luck that Buffy was running in the direction she’d come.  
  
After a few moments of running and not hearing anything from the bear or Sam, she slowed to a fast-paced walk. When her cell phone rang, she pulled it out and rolled her eyes. It could wait, so she ignored the call.  
  
Determined that she wasn’t being followed, she headed home. She made it there just as the sun was setting. All she wanted was a nice, hot bath to get rid of the dirt and grime, but knew a call was due to Giles while the information was fresh in her mind. Buffy grabbed the keys from her back pocket and unlocked the front door. The shotgun was placed by the chest of weapons.  
  
Dawn looked up from the couch where she was lounging. She took one look at Buffy, her expression, and her clothing, and winced. “You found something, didn’t you?”  
  
“Big understatement.”   
  
  
The entire next day, Buffy worked on airing out the house and putting things away exactly as she wanted them and then went on a run through town, just to get acquainted with the area. The clouds disappeared for awhile, leaving the bright sun to dominate the skies. She stopped at a diner for lunch, endured the poorly veiled inquisition from the village folks, and then headed back to the house for a shower before she picked up her sister.  
  
She breathed a small sigh of relief when she drove up next to the school and Dawn waved to a group of teenagers before getting in the car. As they pulled out of the parking lot, Buffy glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. “Make friends? Like your first day?”  
  
Dawn rolled her eyes. “Yes, _mom_ , I had an okay day and made some friends.”  
  
Buffy gave her an amused glance and decided to leave the school talk until later. “Well I got most of the unpacking done. We just have to send for the small things now.”  
  
“So we’re really going to stay?” Dawn asked, disappointment coloring her voice. Buffy sighed.  
  
“Yes, Dawn, we really have to stay. Just long enough to clear up this whole mess that’s come up.”  
  
“You know, you never did tell me what happened.”  
  
Buffy made a face. “Later? Let’s enjoy this normal moment without talk of the undead.”  
  
“So I guess I can’t mention that we’re going to do a book report in English and I chose Dracula?”  
  
She groaned loudly and if she hadn’t been driving, she would have bashed her head against the steering wheel.  
  
Dawn immediately set upon homework when they returned and Buffy decided to tackle dinner. One of the slayers they’d picked up was attending culinary school at the time they released the essence of the slayer. Buffy picked up a few things; mainly, she learned not to burn the food and make it taste edible.  
  
When dinner was ready, Buffy called Dawn to the kitchen and they ate at the small table. Dawn agreed to be grilled over school and Buffy agreed to tell Dawn about what happened in the woods.  
  
“So, nothing happened for hours, and then there was this random wolf, only it wasn’t a werewolf but a shape shifter. His name is Sam.”  
  
Dawn let out a small laugh. “You went walking in the woods and happened upon a random shape shifter?”  
  
“Well, he’s not really random. He belongs to the nearby Native American reservation, and he said he wasn’t always a shifter. He only became one when the vampires arrived. And get this, they’re productive members of society. One’s even a doctor.”  
  
Her sister had the same shocked look on her face that Buffy imagined she had when she heard the news but seemed to recuperate faster. “Wait, so when vampires show up, random Indians turn into wolves?”  
  
“Native Americans,” Buffy corrected with a mild glare before taking a bite of the chicken she prepared. “And Sam said that the vampires made a peace treaty with them to not kill humans. They feed off of animals in the forest. They’re not allowed onto the reservation, but they can live ordinary lives in town. I’m going to check out the doctor tomorrow. His last name is Cullen.”  
  
She hadn’t been looking up when she said this, but Dawn’s fork clattering on her plate as it slipped through her fingers made her glance up sharply. “Dawn?”  
  
“Cullen?” Dawn asked, and Buffy nodded, her brow furrowing. “Today when I was introduced to some people, one of the girls was dating a guy named Edward. His last name is Cullen. There are five of them that go to school, but she said whenever the sun comes out, their dad takes them camping.”  
  
Buffy froze, her own plate forgotten. Her brain tried to process the crazy thought. If the “dad” could work at a hospital, then it made sense that the “kids” went to school, didn’t it? Sam told her that the count was seven vampires. Five kids, a dad... and a mother? If she knitted or held a book club, Buffy was throwing in the towel and officially retiring.  
  
“We’ll yank you from school tomorrow. I’ll call the office and let them know you won’t be in.”  
  
She was not expecting the quick rebuttal. “No, Buffy, I can do recon at the school.”  
  
Buffy made a face, both at her little sister for using the word ‘recon’ and for thinking her vampire slayer sister would willingly send her to school with vampires. “I don’t think so.”  
  
“There’s no reason why I can’t go. They’re normal students. Bella’s dating Edward, and I know she’s human. It can’t be that bad, right? I mean, you did it.”  
  
That always came back to bite her in the ass.


	2. Chapter 2

After running errands, Buffy made a quick stop at the hospital only to find Dr. Cullen wasn’t on the schedule for two days. Unlike Sunnydale, a few winks and a puppy-dog look wouldn’t get her private details about Dr. Cullen, so she was out of luck unless she magically ran into the vampire around town as he was getting groceries.   
  
Instead of immediately dismissing the idea, Buffy mulled it over. There was a good chance if the vampire wasn’t at work, he could be found feeding in the woods. It was cloudy which meant no sunlight; weather was perfect for a hunt.   
  
Buffy looked at the clock. It was close to the end of school, but she didn’t want to risk missing Dr. Cullen in the woods in case teenagers routinely spent their after school hours frolicking in the trees for some reason. She flipped open her phone and called Dawn’s numbering, knowing her sister was in class. She would just leave a voicemail.  
  
“Dawn, it’s me,” she began. “I tried to go to the hospital to meet that vampire doctor, but he wasn’t scheduled for today. I’m going to do a little pre-patrol in the woods and try to talk to Sam again before doing a patrol further north later tonight. Can you get a ride home from school? I have a feeling this is going to be a late night.”  
  
She sighed. “There are leftovers in the fridge and don’t forget to do your homework! Love you.”  
  
With that out of the way, Buffy picked up her shotgun, slung it over her shoulder, and headed out. She decided as much as she didn’t like Forks, she _hated_ the forest surrounding it. Next time there was a possible Hellmouth, if it wasn’t on the beach somewhere, she wasn’t investigating it.   
  
She searched for vampire nests or any clues the vampires were out in the woods but didn’t find anything. Sam the shapeshifter didn’t show up either. An hour after nightfall, Buffy decided to head back home. She started back towards the town going a slightly different route that didn’t seem as steep and riddled with fallen trees as the way she’d entered the forest. She thought she was only about a mile away from the road when she stumbled upon it.  
  
A dead body.  
  
Buffy hung back, taking in all the details of the scene that she could from afar. She didn’t want to get too close. This wasn’t Sunnydale, and even though the town was small, she had no doubt the police work was done much better. They would take hair samples and mark the shoeprints from around the body.  
  
She made a face. She was going to have to burn these shoes, just in case. And they were finally breaking in and were half-way comfortable.  
  
All kidding aside, Buffy did notice a few things about the corpse that worried her. She swung the shotgun onto her back and crouched down, trying to see in the dim light. Using her phone as a flashlight, she shined it onto the body. There were bite marks everywhere. They weren’t animal bites, but clear mouth bites. Vampire bites.  
  
Pulling out her phone, she sighed. So much for Sam’s thought that they didn’t kill humans. As she called Dawn’s phone number, it took forever for her to answer.  
  
“ _Hello?_ ”  
  
“Finally,” Buffy said. “Look, I might be a bit later than I thought.” She looked down at the body sadly. Sam would know what to do with it, being that it was killed by vampires, and she was going to drive to the reservation to see if she could find him.  
  
“ _What’s up?_ ” Dawn asked, and Buffy thought she heard a giggle in the background. That was just what she needed; her little sister throwing a party. Her eyes narrowed.  
  
“Tell me you are not having a party at the house while I’m gone.”  
  
There was more laughter in the background. “ _No, I’m not. Geez. I’m... at a friend’s house._ ”  
  
Buffy noticed the pause. Dawn tried to play it off, but it didn’t work. Buffy had done it too many times. “Dawn,” she said slowly, “where are you?”  
  
It was quiet for a moment on the other end, and Buffy nearly repeated herself, but her sister answered. “ _I’m at the Cullen’s house._ ”  
  
Her hand tightened around her phone so strongly she heard a crack and had to make herself loosen her grip so she didn’t destroy it. Her baby sister was at the house of vampires she’d never met before while she was staring down a dead body riddled with bite marks.  
  
“Get out of there.”  
  
“ _Buffy? What’s going on?_ ”  
  
She could hear the worry in Dawn’s voice, but she didn’t have time to explain things in detail. Dawn needed to get away from the vampires and they needed to be dealt with, but Buffy had no idea where they were.  
  
“Leave now and go home. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”  
  
She made her way through the trees as quick as she could with one hand still holding up the phone to her ear. Her shirt got caught on some brush and she was meticulous in removing every little piece of fabric just in case the cops found it.  
  
“ _Buffy, I can’t. I don’t remember the way home from here and I don’t have a car. I rode with Edward_.”  
  
Buffy paused in getting the fabric off the branch to roll her eyes. “Dawn, get home now. I don’t care what you do, just get away from them.” There was whispering and Buffy couldn’t make out what they were saying. “Dawn!”  
  
“ _I’ll be home in a few minutes Buffy_.”  
  
She didn’t even want to think how Dawn was going to make it home so quickly so instead, she snapped the phone shut, shoved it into her pocket, and took off at a full run. It took her only a few minutes to make it to the house and she slowed when she saw the sleek, black car parked behind her own. With a burst of speed, Buffy jumped up onto the porch and into the foyer.  
  
“ _Dawn_!”  
  
“I’m right here, Buffy!” She snapped her head to the left, where Dawn, another young woman, and two men were sitting. Buffy was glad Dawn didn’t look harmed, although she did look irritated. “Why don’t you yell my name a bit louder? I don’t think they heard you in China.”  
  
She wasn’t paying attention to Dawn, but glared at the younger of the two men in her house. It was the teen from the school that had been staring at her. Now that she knew what he was, she could hazard a guess as to why he’d been staring at her with such intensity.  
  
“What are you doing in my house?” Without giving them a chance to answer, Buffy whirled around and faced her sister. “What the hell were you thinking inviting them inside?”  
  
“I didn’t!” Dawn snapped. “They walked right in, no invitation needed.”  
  
“Well I sure as hell didn’t ask for vampires to lounge in my living room!”  
  
The other vampire stood and Buffy couldn’t help her instincts. She fell back into a defensive stance and whipped the shotgun off of her back to aim it at them. The other girl rushed up and tried to stand in front of the vampires but they moved her aside.  
  
“No, Bella. Everything will be fine.” The vampire turned to her and gave her a smile that she assumed was meant to be reassuring. “We do not mean you or your sister harm, but I do want to point out that your gun cannot kill us.”  
  
“I know,” she said stonily as she flipped the gun over and held the barrel in her right hand. She wasn’t too sure about the two vampires, who remained still and stone-faced, but the human girl-Bella-was shocked at her display of strength. “But it sure will hurt like hell when I smash it into the side of your head.”  
  
“Buffy,” Dawn said exasperatedly, “Don’t you think if they wanted to kill me they would have done so before bringing me all the way back here?”  
  
She still hadn’t taken her eyes off of the vampires. “Maybe they didn’t want to have to clean up a body in the middle of their living room. Now get over here away from them.” Dawn stayed put and Buffy resisted stomping her foot. “Dawn!”  
  
“We will not harm anyone,” the vampire said once again. “Our eyes will give you proof. We do not feed on humans.”  
  
Buffy had noticed the golden eyes, and that didn’t mean anything to her. “First off, you don’t have to feed on humans to harm them, and second, the vampires I deal with? When their eyes turn that color is when they start going for my neck.”  
  
“Buffy, please,” Dawn pleaded. “Remember that species of vampire you ran into in Colorado? The nearly extinct kind? They were different, right? With the different types of fangs and no ridges on the head? They’re not going to hurt us.”  
  
“Tell that to the dead girl I just found in the woods covered in bite marks,” she hissed.  
  
Understanding flashed over the vampires’ faces while shock registered on Dawn and Bella. When one of the vampires turned to the other, Buffy’s grip on the barrel of the gun tightened. They both noticed. “We should have brought along Jasper,” the older one murmured to the younger one.  
  
“Yeah, and what did I tell you would happen if you had?” Dawn said with a snort before turning to Buffy. “Jasper can control emotions, like, if you’re feeling anxious, he can make you calm. I told them that would definitely go over well with you.”  
  
“Understatement,” she replied, but loosened her grip on the gun.   
  
The older vampire nodded. “We are not the only vampires in the area, but you have my word that we do not feed on humans. We have an agreement in place that prohibits it, and we would not risk our home here when the wildlife is more than acceptable food.”  
  
Sam did say that the vampires didn’t feed on humans and didn’t harm them, keeping to themselves. Buffy stood up and rolled her shoulders a bit. “Fine, so you decided to shack up in this god-forsaken hole for the fun of it?”  
  
Dawn let out a loud sigh of relief and plopped back down onto the chair she’d been sitting in before Buffy came charging in. The older of the two vampires looked amused. “Well, the near constant cloud cover gives us the ability to have a normal routine with humans so they are not suspicious of us. This area is also full of wild game that we can feed on.”  
  
A small buzzing started in her head. Great. A headache was forming. This was just what she needed.  
  
He slowly walked forward, and although Buffy didn’t raise the gun to smack him in the head, she did tense, unsure of what he was going to do. Instead of attacking her, he simply held out his hand. “My name is Carlisle Cullen, and this is my son, Edward.”  
  
Her eyebrow slowly went up. “Son?”  
  
“Not biologically, but our coven of vampires is a family in every sense of the word.”  
  
She understood that, given her knowledge with Angel and the small coven he kept with Darla, Drusilla, and Spike centuries before. Buffy finally took Carlisle’s hand. “Buffy Summers.” As she shook his hand, the buzzing got louder and she closed her eyes for a moment.  
  
“Are you all right?” She opened her eyes to Carlisle looking her over.  
  
“Oh, right. The doctor,” she said. She’d forgotten he was working at the hospital. “No, I’m fine, I’ll just...”  
  
Buffy was about to reply that she’d take some medicine before she went to bed and that would be that, but there was something familiar about this buzzing. Buffy turned her attention to the younger vampire, Edward, and their gazes locked. He was the source of the buzzing noise in her head, and she brought the gun up slightly. He noticed.  
  
“Get the hell out of my head,” she said in a low voice. “And stay out. You poke around in my head again and the barrel of this gun goes in yours.” Bella gasped, looking at Edward in surprise, and Dawn winced.  
  
“So, who here wants to tell me how the only vampires in town don’t eat humans but I just found a dead girl with vampire bites all over her in the woods?” she began as she walked back into the living room. Buffy didn’t sit on anything, her clothes were filthy, and she still needed to burn the shoes. She made a face as she looked down at them. They were so comfortable, too. This just gave her the opportunity to go into town to buy some new ones.  
  
Edward snorted softly, but she still heard and looked up with an eyebrow raised. “You think a dead girl in the woods is funny?”  
  
“I think the loss of life is serious. It is your thoughts about buying new shoes I found humorous.”  
  
Buffy narrowed her eyes and contemplated getting the gun and at least breaking Edward’s kneecaps. “What did I tell you about--”  
  
“Reading your thoughts, I know, but I did not actively search for them. You were thinking quite loudly just then,” he said with a small smirk that reminded her of Spike when he was being a bastard.  
  
“Seriously?” Dawn asked, looking half-exasperated and half-not surprised. “Shoes after that conversation opener?”  
  
“Well, my shoe tracks were around the body. I’ll have to burn these so I can’t be placed at the scene.” Buffy looked down at her shoes again with a pout. “I finally broke these in.”  
  
Dawn rolled her eyes. “So what are we going to do about the dead girl?”  
  
Buffy turned to Carlisle. “If you’re adamant that no one in your family killed her, then we need to figure out who did and how we’ll let the authorities know. God, I hate small towns and smart cops.”  
  
“Well, I think the rest of my family will be able to help reason who the culprit is,” Carlisle said. “As for the girl, perhaps it is best that body not be found? The marks could be easily made to look like a wild animal’s, but I will leave that up to you.”  
  
Buffy made a face. Why did she have to decide? “Regardless of the decision, it needs to be moved.”  
  
Carlisle nodded. “I will go and put the body in a safe place so it will not be found. Where is it located?”  
  
“A mile off of Ridge Road, almost due north.”  
  
He looked back to Edward. “Take them to the house? I will join you shortly.” With that, he gave her a small smile and walked out the front door.  
  
Buffy was hesitant. What would stop Carlisle from disposing of the body and covering his tracks if he or someone in his family had been the killer? For all she knew, he was only using this whole rouse as a trick to get them both in the same place to kill them.  
  
“He’s not.”  
  
She turned around and glared at Edward, who shrugged, unapologetic. “You were thinking loudly again.”  
  
As when she and Willow held conversations, Buffy concentrated, kept eye contact and thought hard. _That doesn’t give you permission to announce my thought process to the world._  
  
Edward gave her a small smirk. “But it’s interesting.”  
  
“What is?” Bella asked, looking between her and Edward. She seemed irritated at being left out.  
  
 _Looks like your girlfriend is a bit jealous_. When Edward glared over at her, Buffy returned the smirk. _Yeah, not so awesome now, is it?_  
  
Their conversation was interrupted when Dawn stood. “Let’s get this party on the road, shall we?”  
  
“I’ll drive us,” Edward said, taking Bella’s hand and starting towards the front door. Buffy immediately stood in his way.  
  
“Like hell you are. I don’t trust you just yet and I’m certainly not going to let you drive me and my sister off to murder us in the woods.”  
  
“Well I’m not going to let you drive. You’ll miss the turn and the roads are treacherous.”  
  
Buffy crossed her arms and Edward narrowed his eyes. They were at a standstill, but Dawn came up with a solution. “Okay, well why don’t we follow you?”  
  
Edward shook his head. “She won’t be able to keep up with me.”  
  
Dawn snorted. “Oh, she so can. You’ve never seen her drive. I kiss the ground every time I get out of the car.”  
  
...................................  
  
A short thirty minutes later, Buffy was clean, in clean clothes, and armed to the teeth with her scythe in the back seat for good luck. Carlisle came back when she was in the shower and now she was following him as he drove the winding roads outside of Forks. Dawn was in the car with her, telling her about the house they were heading to and the rest of the family.  
  
“And you can’t kill Rose, even though you’ll probably want to. She’s a bitch.”  
  
“Dawn,” Buffy admonished, half-heartedly.  
  
“Well she is!” her sister defended. “And she’s married to this guy who reminds me a lot of Angel with the body but he’s a jokester like Xander, which is the craziest combination ever. Alice is sweet and is a total shopaholic. Her husband Jasper is kind of hard to figure out, but that may be because of the whole ‘he can control emotions’ thing. And Esme...”  
  
When Dawn trailed off, Buffy chanced a quick glance over at her. “That’s the mom one, right?”  
  
“Yeah,” she began again, her tone reflecting a bit of sadness. “She reminds me a lot of Mom. Real open to new people and sweet. They’re not bad, Buffy, I promise. Give them a chance before you go all crazy slayer, okay?”  
  
Buffy shook her head in amazement. “I can’t believe you suddenly became pro-vampire.”  
  
“Hey, not all vampires are good. I learned that lesson early on, but they’re like Angel and Spike. They don’t feed on humans.”  
  
“ _They_ have souls, Dawn,” she retorted hotly. “And without those souls, you know they’re killers.”  
  
Dawn waved her statement away. “Whatever. This just proves that the Cullens don’t need souls, right? That they made the choice all on their own. They won’t hurt us.”  
  
The black car in front of her suddenly turned off and if she hadn’t been watching closely, Buffy would have completely missed it. She followed the car down a twisting lane lined with trees and became more nervous. “Are you sure about that?”  
  
“This is where the house is,” Dawn said.  
  
When the house came into view, Buffy’s jaw dropped. “Seriously? What the hell, Giles? Why couldn’t we get the mansion?”  
  
“I know, right?” Dawn said as Buffy parked the car next to Carlisle’s. “We need an apology allowance.”  
  
She agreed wholeheartedly, but started to block out Dawn’s ramblings and focus on the house. More importantly, she was checking the perimeter and the visible exits. The whole situation still made her twitchy.  
  
Her cell phone was tossed in a cup holder and Dawn pulled it out. Her eyes widened at the caller I.D. “Buffy?”  
  
When Dawn flashed the screen at her, she paused. “Ignore it.”  
  
“But Buffy...”  
  
“Ignore it,” she said firmly. “I don’t have time to deal with them. Ignore it and come on.”  
  
Slowly, she followed Dawn and the group up to the front door and they all walked inside. Buffy shook her head as she took in the grand space and tasteful decor. “Yes, we so need an apology allowance.”  
  
Footsteps rapidly coming down the stairs to her left put Buffy on alert and she looked over as a short, dark haired vampire smiled and stopped in front of her. She held out a wrapped box and Buffy just stared at it.  
  
“Go on,” the vampire said excitedly, and Buffy obliged. When she slowly opened the package, her brow furrowed. Inside was a brand new set of tennis shoes identical to the ones she’d put in a bag to be burned the next day. They were even the same size with the same pink stripe on the side.  
  
“How did you...?” she trailed off, looking up at the vampire. Dawn answered for her.  
  
“Alice is like Cassie. She can see the future sometimes.”  
  
Buffy blinked in shock. “Huh. Nifty. Guess I don’t have to worry about you having a heart attack on me in a random hallway.”  
  
Dawn giggled. “Well, like I said, this is Alice. Behind her is her husband Jasper.”  
  
She leaned around Alice to take a good look at the other vampire. Her eyebrow went up. “You’re the emotions guy?”  
  
Jasper’s eyebrow went up to mimic hers. “That’s one way of putting it.”  
  
Shaking her head, she looked around the house a bit more. “You would have been nice to have around a few years ago. Thirty girls in one house with one bathroom? Damn.”  
  
Dawn snorted in agreement, but she was staring more at Buffy than the house, probably making sure she wasn’t about to go on a killing spree. She wasn’t really looking at the decor as much as she was looking at hints of their vampirism. There were plenty of mirrors around and she even saw a crucifix hanging on the wall. Everything was done in light and neutral colors, the absence of dark and rich colors a bit of shock.  
  
“It’s like I’ve stepped into an alternate dimension,” she said ruefully.  
  
“How so?” Carlisle asked, clearly curious.  
  
“Because most vampires I know have the same stereotypical decorator. Red, black, purple, velvet, leather...” Buffy trailed off.  
  
Esme smiled as she stood next to Buffy. “I’ve always been fond of light neutrals. It fits our lifestyle.”  
  
“But what’s with all the windows? What do you do when the sun comes out?” she asked, looking around for the drapes, which there was a distinct lack of. “I get that the sun hardly ever comes out, but still.”  
  
Dawn stood next to her, seeing the lack of heavy curtains as well. “Yeah, I wondered about that earlier too.”  
  
“Well, since no humans venture this far into the country, we don’t have to worry about them seeing us. If they did come near, we would hear them well before they would pose a threat to our secrecy.”  
  
That didn’t really answer her question. Buffy thought over his answer.  
  
“She’s wondering how we do not die in the sun like the vampires she knows.”  
  
Buffy whirled around and glared at Edward. “That whole _you think loud_ excuse is wearing thin. If you hear my thoughts, _don’t_ voice them aloud, got it?” The vampire cocked his eyebrow but grinned with a nod. Buffy didn’t comment on the smarmy look when Edward’s sentence caught up with her. “Wait, you guys don’t die in the sun? What the hell do you do?”  
  
She looked to her sister, but Dawn just shrugged. In the end, it was Bella who answered.   
  
“They dazzle.”  
  
“Huh?” Buffy said, making a face. “They _dazzle_? What does that mean? They have mind control powers in the sun?”  
  
“Our skin has the unique attribute of refracting light like a diamond does,” Carlisle explained, and that still didn’t help her understand. She’d never understood all the science crap. When she looked over at Dawn, her sister looked half shocked and half amused. Clearly she figured out what Carlisle was talking about.  
  
“Okay, seriously. What does that mean?”  
  
Dawn supplied her with the answer, still not taking her eyes off of the vampires. She kept looking at them like the sun would pop out any minute at refract light or whatever it was that happened.   
  
“It means...they sparkle.”  
  
Buffy thought Dawn was playing a practical joke on her, because she swore Dawn said that the vampires sparkled. “No really. What does it mean?”  
  
“It’s an accurate assessment,” Alice said matter-of-factly.   
  
It was quiet for a few moments before Dawn and Buffy started laughing. Buffy couldn’t stop picturing Spike, or worse, Angel, covered in glitter walking around sparkling. The two sisters had to lean against each other to hold each other up.   
  
“You...sparkle?” Buffy asked through her chuckles. “You’re...sparklepires?”  
  
With that, they broke into a fresh peal of laughter even louder than the last. Buffy had a vision of vampires waiting in line for someone with a Bedazzler like Dawn had when they were younger and could barely breathe.   
  
Suddenly, there was a body in front of them and all the laughter left.   
  
“You think this is funny?” someone hissed, and Buffy didn’t even think. She put herself in front of Dawn and pushed the body away from her with all her strength. When she finally got a look at who had gotten in her face, Buffy figured this to be Rose, the bitch vampire. Dawn was right when she said Buffy would want to kill her.   
  
There was another vampire in front of Rose but Buffy wasn’t sure if he was holding her back or protecting her. It was almost the same stance she held with Dawn.   
  
A sense of calm started to wash over her and she fought it, knowing instantly that it was Jasper trying to cool everyone down. Buffy took some deep breaths but didn’t lose her stance. “This is as calm as I’m going to get, buster,” she said still glaring at Rose.   
  
“I can almost feel her fighting against me,” Jasper replied, talking to the other vampires.   
  
“And she pushed Rosalie back all the way to Emmett. I’ve never seen that strength in a human,” Alice said, almost excitedly.  
  
“Well I have to be strong,” she replied calmly, still staring at Rose. “It’s not easy killing vampires.”  
  
Dawn groaned as soon as she said it, but Buffy didn’t care. Rose and Emmett instantly tensed and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bella pull Edward back, as if trying to get him away from her. Jasper was pushing calm onto her, and this time she didn’t resist as much. If she got too hot-headed, things wouldn’t end well.  
  
“You brought a vampire killer here?” Emmett asked, but he didn’t seem too angry, just amused.   
  
“I’m a vampire slayer,” Buffy replied. “It’s my job.”  
  
Carlisle walked over to her, studying her as if she would magically give him answers. “And why are you in this area?”  
  
Buffy sighed, relaxing her stance a bit more, confident that they weren’t going to lunge for Dawn. “A coven of Seers told me there was high supernatural activity in this area. I came to check it out, mostly to get away from Italy.”  
  
“Italy?” he asked cautiously.   
  
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, I wanted to get away from my ex-boyfriend who lives in Italy.”   
  
Dawn coughed into her hand. “ _Asshole_.” Buffy glared at her.  
  
“I _liked_ Venice. It has those little boats.”  
  
Her sister snickered at her. “And Gucci.”  
  
She grinned, remembering the last time she shopped in St. Marcus Square. “And Gucci.”  
  
The atmosphere was less tense after that, with Alice going so far as asking her about all the stores she favored. Rose and Emmett disappeared shortly after which left Dawn to bug Jasper about how he controlled emotions. Carlisle interrupted them both, asking different medical questions and Buffy indulged him.  
  
It wasn’t until Esme later promised to make dinner for the sisters and Bella that Buffy noticed Edward disappeared with his girlfriend. Alice was in the middle of telling her about a truly glorious row of shops in Germany but Buffy was too busy staring up the stairs to pay attention.   
  
“ _Buffy!_ ” She shook her head and looked at Dawn, who had yelled her name. Her sister looked concerned. “What’s wrong?”  
  
“What?” she asked. “Nothing’s wrong.”  
  
“I could feel your worry and anxiety,” Jasper replied, and she made a face.   
  
“That’s going to get really irritating.”  
  
He gave her an easy grin and went back to talking with Dawn. Esme came back into the living room, asking if they would like any dessert. Buffy pounced on it, since sweets were in short supply at the Training Council. Bella and Edward reappeared for dinner, with Bella looking cheerful and content, so Buffy banished her worry.   
  
She offered Bella a ride home at the end of the night, but the girl declined so Edward could take her home. Buffy knew it wasn’t her business, so they bid the Cullens goodnight and went home. Dawn was talking ninety miles an hour about the vampires, and she let her drone on. Buffy knew from experience that being as close to a vampire as Bella was could only end in heartache. She only hoped Bella realized that before it was too late.


	3. Chapter 3

Buffy just finished taking out the trash when the beat up red Ford truck pulled into the driveway. She was surprised when Bella slid out of the driver’s seat. She looked nervous as she walked up the gravel driveway.

“Hi, Bella. Dawn’s not here. She went to Port Angeles with some girls from school.”

The teen shook her head. “I’m not here to speak to Dawn. I’d like to talk to you, if that’s okay?”

She hoped she masked her surprise well because she had no idea what Bella wanted to speak to her about. They both went inside the house. “Can I get you something to eat or drink?”

Bella looked like she would refuse, but changed her mind at the last moment. “Water would be nice.”

“One water coming right up.”

Buffy filled up two glasses with water and walked back into the living room. Bella was looking around at all the pictures that Dawn put on every available surface she could find. Most of them were from Sunnydale times but there were many pictures with the newer slayers.

She held out the glass and Bella took it. Buffy sat on the couch and tucked her feet up under her. “So, what would you like to talk about? If you want information about the vampires, I think we’ve already proven I don’t know much about this species.”

That spawned another round of chuckles when she thought the word “sparkly”.

Bella shook her head and abandoned looking at pictures to sit in one of the armchairs. “No, that’s not really it.”

Buffy could sense her hesitation. “Look, I’m not going to judge you. I’ve been dealing with vampires since I was your age and younger. Whatever you want to talk to me about, it’s okay.”

“You mentioned you dated vampires at dinner the other night.”

She wanted to groan. That always came back to bite her in the ass.

“I did. I fell in love with Angel when I was your age. Spike came... later. Much later.” Buffy was worried where this questioning was going, because she didn’t think Bella would appreciate the answers Buffy was going to give. “Are you sure you want to start this? I don’t know if you’ll like what I have to say.”

“No,” Bella said adamantly. “I need to know this and I need all the information I can find. Edward...” she trailed off, trying to find the words. “He thinks that it’s too dangerous for me to be around him.”

“He’s right.”

“I don’t care!” Bella said stubbornly.

“Why the hell not?” Buffy asked loudly. “Do you have a death wish or something?”

Bella was becoming more frustrated. “Wasn’t it dangerous for you to be around Angel? Did he tell you the same thing?”

She sighed. Angel was considered the exception to every rule with her. “No. It was more dangerous for Angel to be with me.”

“I don’t understand.”

Buffy shook her head. “He was a vampire already condemned with a soul. He had no friends in the vampire community and most considered him a waste of a vampire. Then we fell in love and it was like he had a purpose again, but we were each others’ weakness. He lost his soul and he spent every waking moment trying to kill me and everyone I cared for.”

Bella swallowed, holding Buffy’s gaze steadily. “And did he?”

“He killed my teacher Jenny Calendar himself and laid her out in my Watcher’s bed for him to find. He told his girlfriend to kill my sister slayer, Kendra. On his orders, vampires working for him put my friend Willow in a coma and injured my Watcher.”

It was silent in the room as Bella digested what she was told. “What happened?” she asked after a few moments.

“In the end, it was him or me, and I chose to live. I killed him.”

Bella shook her head disbelievingly. “But you loved him.”

Buffy grinned at her sadly. “It’s the ones that love us that hurt us the most.” She sighed. “I sent him to hell but he returned after a few months. It was longer there, but I helped nurse him back to health. He stayed another year and we tried to have a normal relationship.”

“What happened then?”

“Even though we both loved each other, he had to leave. It just wasn’t possible for us to be together. He moved to L.A. and I stayed in Sunnydale. We still saw each other sometimes, but it was usually only if the world was ending.”

She was lost in her memories, both good and bad. Buffy sighed, shaking her head. “It got easier every time.”

“What did?”

“Saying goodbye,” Buffy replied looking back at Bella. “Angel made things...muddled. Bringing back those old feelings was harmful, because it was just something neither of us could have. It took time, but we both realized that we were better separated.”

Bella was looking down at her feet, her face displaying her clear disappointment. Buffy tried to put herself in her shoes. If she was told just after meeting Angel that their relationship was probably going to end in heartbreak, she would probably have that same look on her face.

The teenager looked up at her, her demeanor rapidly changed. “What about the other one? You said there was another vampire.”

She grinned as she thought of Spike. “Spike is... different for a vampire. He’s more human than other vampires. He feels great emotion, like jealousy, anger, and love.” The smile fell from Buffy’s face. She realized that Spike’s story was going to do more harm than good when Bella heard it, and she’d heard enough for one day. “But I’ll tell you that later. The love doctor is done with this session.”

When Buffy stood up, Bella grabbed her wrist like it was a lifeline in the ocean. The grip didn’t hurt, but it showed how serious the teenager was. “Please, Buffy. I need to know.”

“No, you don’t. You can’t compare my relationships to yours. You won’t like how it ends.”

“Just tell me.”

Buffy sat back down after a few moments. “Damn, you’re stubborn.”

Bella smiled a bit at that and settled back into the couch, finally taking a drink of the water Buffy gave her when she first arrived.

“Spike’s real name is William, but he got the nickname after he became a vampire. William was in love with a woman who wouldn’t give him the time of day. When he confessed his love to her, she shot him down and broke his heart. A vampire named Drusilla turned him that night when he was grieving and he became a part of a coven of vampires that terrorized Europe.”

In her mind, Buffy was flashing back to the first times he met Spike and saw Drusilla. When they were together, the world stopped for them. If she was honest, she was jealous of that admiration and devotion at the time. When it was turned on her, well, she joked sometimes that she knew why Drusilla went for the Chaos demon.

“He and Drusilla loved each other, or well, he loved her. She became very sick and Spike was determined to find the cure. Finally, after years of searching he found it. It nearly killed him. The tables turned, but instead of Drusilla taking care of him like he had for her, she turned to another vampire for love.”

Buffy chuckled. “Spike has no patience whatsoever. Willow thinks he has ADD, but he waited for his revenge on her. He wanted to steal her away and rekindle their relationship. In the end he kidnapped her and took her to South America, but she left him again.”

She could see the story was confusing Bella. “But he loved her and nearly died for her. She turned him; she made him.”

Buffy didn’t like how reverent Bella sounded when she spoke of Drusilla turning Spike. “Dru turned him into a vampire, something he didn’t ask for. She preyed on his weak emotional state. There’s nothing redeeming about that.”

Buffy knew the words Edward is different were on the edge of Bella’s tongue, so she continued with the story. “Drusilla said Spike didn’t really love her anymore because he’d fallen in love with someone else. A human. So Spike went to confront the human and kill her as proof that he didn’t love her.”

“Did he?” Bella asked quickly and Buffy grinned at her.

“No matter how many times we fought, Spike could never kill me, and I could never kill him.”

Bella’s jaw dropped. “So, it wasn’t love at first sight with Spike?”

Buffy snorted. “I never loved Spike, not the way I loved Angel. With Spike...” she sighed. “I love Spike in a way I love a really good friend. He’s there when I need him, knows what to do for me, and sometimes he knows me way better than I know myself. It took three years and a truly screwed up relationship for us to see that.”

“What happened when he tried to kill you?”

“He couldn’t do it,” she said with a grin. “I couldn’t kill him either. It was a stalemate. That’s what drew us together. He’d killed slayers before and God knows I’d killed plenty of vampires, but we were equal in strength.”

Buffy sighed. Maybe hearing this would be good for Bella, and she would see that love and equal strength didn’t matter with vampire relationships when she was still human. “In the end, and I mean the very end, he sacrificed himself to save us.”

It was quiet in the living room until Buffy cleared her throat. “And then the powers that be decided he’d make an awesome ghost and sent him packing to L.A. until they made him corporeal. Since then, I’ve sworn off vampires...as possible boyfriends.”

She tried to figure out what Bella was feeling by looking her over. The young girl was curled up on the end of the couch, staring intently at the floor, obviously going through the information she’d been told in her mind. “It’s not really what you wanted to hear, is it? It’s not a romantic story where you live happily ever after.”

After a few more moments of silence, Bella shook her head. “I was hoping I’d get a glimmer of hope; I’d know what it was about me that was drawn to Edward and vice versa.”

“That’s where you’re the anomaly,” Buffy said with a chuckle. “One thing I’ve noticed about vampires no matter the race is that they always have an equal. They’re drawn to that equal.” She stopped herself from making a mating for life joke. “Sure, there are always leaders in a group and there are minions, but the really strong ones have a mate. The Cullens are great examples.”

She thought hard about every vampire she could remember encountering, from the almost extinct race in Colorado to the demonic vampires that gravitated toward Hellmouths. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a vampire with a human girl as anything but a snack. I’ve never believed in the whole I value your frailty and fragileness line either.”

That seemed to upset Bella even more. Her face showed her desperation. “But you’re not a vampire and you had long term relationships with them.”

Buffy didn’t know how she could explain this more clearly. “But I’m strong. I’m super strong. Angel and Spike didn’t have to hold back with me. We could fight and they didn’t have to worry about hurting me. Think about it. What do people do with something really valuable but fragile, like a crystal vase? They show it off for a little while then put it on a shelf so it won’t get destroyed. The only time they ever think about it again is when someone sees it for the first time and points it out or it needs to be cleaned and taken care of.”

She took a deep breath and grabbed Bella’s hand, prompting the young girl to look up at her. “Eventually, things get broken, and there are only so many times people are willing to put things back together again.”

Bella’s stood suddenly and looked at her watch. “I’m supposed to meet Edward. He said they were going to play baseball tonight.”

Buffy wasn’t surprised that Bella was done with the discussion. It was heavy and full of things she hadn’t wanted to hear. In the middle of standing up off the couch and grabbing the glasses of water, Buffy stopped mid-action. “And by they you mean?”

“The Cullens,” Bella answered and Buffy nodded.

“See, that’s what I thought you meant, but I had no idea vampires played baseball. Of course, I didn’t think vampires sparkled either, but I guess I got schooled in that department.”

She started to walk back to the small kitchen when Bella spun around and in rush questioned, “Do you want to come with me?”

Buffy’s eyebrows went up as she turned to Bella in surprise. “What?” Buffy thought she was the last person Bella wanted to be around at the moment.

“Maybe you could come with me and play? You know, so I’m not the only...” she trailed off, but the word human hung in the air almost as if she’d spoken it. That meant she was taking Buffy’s warnings more seriously.

With Dawn away with friends and nothing good on the television, Buffy figured that it couldn’t hurt. She didn’t need to patrol and so that meant her evening was doomed to be boring. “Are you sure it’s okay? I don’t want to intrude.”

Before Bella could answer, her cell phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out. Buffy’s brow furrowed as she looked at the message. Wear the new shoes. “How did she...?” She sighed before flipping the phone closed. “Never mind. I just got an invite from Alice. Looks like I’m destined to play baseball tonight.”

Relief was evident on Bella’s face and Buffy felt a bit of sympathy for the girl. She obviously loved Edward but was unsure of his family. Buffy found it ironic that she was the complete opposite when it came to the Cullens. Love-struck vampires were more dangerous than the others.

It didn’t do to dwell on it. Buffy took the glasses into the kitchen then came back out into the living room. “Let me change and then I’ll drive us over to the Cullen’s. I’ll bring you back when we’re done.”

...................................

Buffy drove to the Cullen’s and then Edward took them to the place where they would be playing baseball. Ever the cautious one, she grabbed the duffle bag full of stakes, holy water, and her scythe. She hardly went anywhere without it. They all drove in the large Jeep and when they stopped in the middle of nowhere surrounded by trees, she looked around curiously. “Wow. Quite a field you’ve got.”

Emmett emerged from the trees to her right and her eyebrow went up.

“The field is quite a bit away, up near a cliff. It would take too long to walk, so we can take you,” Edward said with a grin, as Bella jumped on his back and locked her arms and legs around him body.

Buffy took a step back when Emmett took a step forward. “Okay, hold up. No one said I would be getting a sparkling pretty pony ride up the mountain.”

“Just…close your eyes and you’ll be fine,” Bella pleaded. Buffy sighed, knowing that Bella didn’t want to be left alone, and it wasn’t like she had a way to get home anyway.

“All right, fine. But the bag is coming with me.”

Emmett walked over and put his back to her. When Buffy locked her arms around his shoulders, he grunted a bit and looked over his shoulder when he leaned up. She locked her legs around his waist, but it was like gripping a rock. Sure that the duffel bag was secure, Buffy took a deep breath and held on tight.

“You’ve got a grip there. We might have to arm wrestle sometime.”

She chuckled at the thought of arm wrestling with a vampire but couldn’t remark because they were suddenly flying through the forest. More than a few times, Buffy thought they were about to fly into a tree, but Emmett was able to dodge them effortlessly. In a few seconds, they were in the clearing and Buffy hopped off of Emmett’s back.

Rosalie didn’t look to happy about the fact that Emmett was the one to give her a piggy back ride through the forest, so Buffy patted him on the shoulder after she caught her breath. “I will definitely take you up on the arm wrestling, as soon as I can catch my breath. Damn.”

The vampire chuckled and joined the rest of the coven. Buffy stuck close to Bella, both for the girl’s own reassurances and because she just had an icky feeling in her stomach. She felt a little anxious, like she usually did right before an earthquake.

She watched as they made the playing field in the clearing, the bases much farther apart than in a traditional game, but judging how fast Emmett and Edward had run through the forest, it made sense. They were a lot quicker than the vampires she usually encountered.

Esme walked over as everyone got in their places. “I swear I’ve stepped into bizarro land. If some of the vamps I knew played baseball, I’d throw in the towel and give up.” Thunder sounded overhead and Buffy made a face. If it rained or she got struck by lightning, she was going to be pissed off. Buffy dropped off her duffel bag by a boulder that was out of the way but easily accessible.

Esme smiled as she looked out over the group. “Don’t let the image fool you. They play hard and are quite ruthless.”

“Do you not play?” Bella asked, keeping her eyes on Edward as he teased Emmett from the outfield.

“I like to referee and keep the game fair,” Esme replied with a small grin. “That way the teams are evenly matched and I can squash down any fights that might occur.”

“It’s time!” Alice shouted, and everyone assumed their positions. Emmett was up to bat first.

She looked around in confusion, seeing that Bella was just as confused as she was. Alice was staring at Emmett, the ball visible in her hand. “Um,” Buffy said, “Time for--”

Buffy was cut off when Alice’s hand flicked out and Emmett swung the bat in a blur, the steel bat making a large jarring sound, almost like the thunder she’d heard just a few moments before. It made her ears ring.

“Good God, that’s loud!” she shouted. But her attention quickly turned back to the blur running around the bases. She hadn’t seen where the ball went, but Edward wasn’t in the outfield. Thinking for sure Emmett scored, Esme held up her hand and a proud smile came over her face.

“Out!”

“Eh?” Buffy questioned, until Edward stepped out of the trees surrounding the clearing with the ball in his hand. “How the hell did he catch that?”

Carlisle was next up to bat and Emmett went back to Rosalie. Esme kept her eyes on the game, but spoke to Buffy. “Emmett hits the ball the hardest and longest, but Edward is the fastest. They’re always on opposite teams, just to keep things fair.”

Alice flicked her wrist again and suddenly the ball was in Jasper’s hand. He threw it back to her with a smile. Buffy paid closer attention to Alice and this time she could see the movement of her body as she pitched the ball. Carlisle swung hard and the ball impacted the steel with the loud booming noise.

After a few more innings, Buffy stepped closer to Esme. “I think I could hit one of the balls. I couldn’t run as fast, so someone else would have to, but I’m pretty sure I could get it far.”

She looked surprised but nodded. Edward was on third base and it was Jasper’s turn to bat, but he held it out for her with a grin and stood behind her so he could run should she hit it. When Buffy glanced up and saw Rosalie glaring at her from the center of the field as she twisted the baseball in her fingers, she figured that waiting until Alice was pitching would have been better.

Too late now, she thought and heard Edward chuckle until she glared at him. It was enough of a distraction for Rosalie to fire off a ball into Carlisle’s waiting hand. Buffy blew a piece of hair out of her face in irritation and imagined smashing the bat into Rosalie’s head to get that smug grin off her face. Edward started laughing again but Buffy was focused on the ball.

When Rosalie barely twitched her hand forward, Buffy swung the bat as hard as she could. In the next few seconds, Edward ran home and Jasper ran the bases. Emmett came up to her with a grin and held the baseball. Her arms hurt from the metal bat vibrating hard, but she was grinning too much to care. Yes, he’d caught it, but he’d had to run hard and work for it.

“You should play with us all the time. You hit as hard as us.”

He tossed the ball to her and she caught it, her grin widening when she saw that the seams were starting to split on the leather. “Awesome.”

Everyone had come in from the outfield to switch teams, so everyone noticed when Alice gasped and Edward quickly looked at her in worry

“They heard us play and they’re coming. I, I thought...” Alice trailed off and next thing she knew she and Bella were shoved to the back of the group. Then Emmett and Jasper both put their frames in from of her and she had to stand on her tip-toes to see around them.

“What the hell is going on?” Buffy asked firmly.

“There are other vampires who are coming to join the game,” Alice said.

Her eyebrows went up. “And you don’t want anyone to join your exclusive little club? Wow. How bitchy are you?”

“They aren’t like us. They’re nomads, possibly responsible for the deaths around town. If I’m to hazard a guess, they are responsible for the dead female you came across in the woods,” Carlisle said calmly, but Buffy noticed how tense everyone was and how their eyes strayed to the tree line.

“Do we need to go?” Buffy asked quickly, gesturing to Bella.

“I couldn’t get her out of range in time. They would just start the hunt,” Edward said, and Buffy made a face. He was the fastest runner, so there went her last hope.

Her eyes strayed to her duffel bag and she nodded to herself. “Fine, then. Do we fight?”

Alice flitted over nervously. “There may still be a way to have them leave so we can get you to safety. Put your hair down and stay behind us. Don’t make eye contact, because they will notice you do not have the same eye color we have.”

Buffy and Bella did as Alice said and the rest of the vampires continued the game, with Carlisle and Edward staying close. Emmett was the catcher while Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice stayed in the outfield. Carlisle grabbed the bat as if he was going to play, but stayed close to them. Buffy was a bit miffed at all the protection; she could take care of herself.

Bella stiffened next to her and Buffy knew the vampires showed up. She didn’t put her back to them outright, but kept glancing between the nomads and the Cullens. They knew they couldn’t talk because their voices would give them away, but Buffy hoped she got her be still across through their gazes.

She let Carlisle talk to them, trying to lure them away from the playing field so she and Bella could make their escape. It almost worked until Buffy felt a slight breeze blow from the north that carried their human scent right to the other vampires.

The next thing she knew, Edward leaned forward, snarls ripping from his throat. He sounded like Angel when he came back from hell. Now that the secret was out, Buffy finally looked up at the three people causing the trouble.

The only female of the group had red hair to rival Willow, but she was staring at Bella with a gleeful expression on her face. One male, the one conversing with Carlisle, was staring at them curiously, and Buffy heard him question the Cullens for keeping humans around. It was the vampire being outright hostile that she wanted to keep an eye on.

When she saw the red eyes staring at Edward, Buffy couldn’t help the “Oh crap” that came out of her lips. No longer were the Cullens a strange vampire species she’d never encountered. Red-eyed vampires were no secret to her. “This is so going to suck.”

The female switched her gaze from Bella to Buffy, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She dove for the duffel bag and barely had her scythe out before the vampire descended on her.

Counting on the magical vampire ass-kicking powers of the scythe, Buffy slashed in the general direction and was awarded with an ear-piercing shriek. The blade sliced across the vampire’s collarbone, creating a sound of fingernails scratching a chalkboard. Her arm was hurting; it took much more force to slice through the hard skin of these vampires than the others.

Buffy kept the scythe in front of her as the female vampire clutched at the shallow cut that had already was healing over. The vampire engaged with Edward looked clearly torn between attacking her or going after Bella.

“Back off,” Buffy replied slowly and clearly. “Or I will kill you.”

“Incredible,” the vampire conversing with Carlisle said as he looked over. “A human with the ability to injure a vampire such as ourselves.”

“I don’t think you’ll be the one doing the killing, human,” the vampire across from Edward hissed at her.

“James.”

“She hurt Victoria, Laurent!”

She now had names to go with the faces, and she turned to Victoria. Her chest was healed and she’d taken up a stance similar to James. As angry as James was, he didn’t seem like he was asking for permission to kill them. It was more like he was stating a fact and going to act on it anyway.

“Victoria lunged first. It was self-defense,” Carlisle said clearly. “Now, I think it would be best if we went our separate ways.”

“I agree,” Laurent said, taking a few steps back. Buffy and Edward still kept their tense stance but slowly, Victoria and James backed away with Laurent.

“I’ll kill you for this,” James promised her and Buffy just grinned.

“How original. Are you going to get my little dog too?”

Buffy knew it wasn’t nice to antagonize, especially those vampires, but she was confident. They couldn’t touch her.

Even though the three nomads were out of sight, everyone was still tensed and waiting until a few moments later. Both Edward and Alice relaxed a bit, but only for a moment before plans were being made.

“Carlisle, I have to take Bella away. He’s a tracker and won’t stop until he has her,” Edward said quickly, with his face showing disgust. “The things he was thinking...”

Buffy picked up her duffel bag but kept the scythe out. “Someone needs to take me home. Dawn is out and I need to get her home.”

“It’s too dangerous,” Esme said patiently, even though Buffy could see she was extremely worried.

“I think I just proved that I can take care of myself,” Buffy said confidently. “They can’t touch me. Now take me home.”

In the end, it was clear Buffy just wanted to go home and Edward needed to get Bella away. He would take Buffy straight home and then start to get Bella away from Forks. As Emmett carried her away from the field, all Buffy could think was how she was never going to play baseball again.  
They made it to the house in a few short minutes and Buffy wasn’t far behind. Lights were on inside the house, which meant Dawn was home. Buffy breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly unlocked the door and stepped through the doorway. She wasn’t prepared for Edward to push her away in a burst of unseen speed. Buffy didn’t know what to make of it until his body froze up and twitched in uncontrollable spasms.

Part of her was grateful that Edward had saved her from the torment, but the other half had to roll her eyes at the chivalry.

Dawn was staring down at Edward, grimacing. Bella started to run to him, but Buffy held her back and pushed her behind her. If James wasn’t out hunting them down, she would have pushed Bella out the door and told her to go home. Instead, she tried to shield her as much as possible as she looked in the shadows for the person causing Edward the pain.

“Jane!”


	4. Chapter 4

_They made it to the house in a few short minutes and Buffy wasn’t far behind. Lights were on inside the house, which meant Dawn was home. Buffy breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly unlocked the door and stepped through the doorway. She wasn’t prepared for Edward to push her away in a burst of unseen speed. Buffy didn’t know what to make of it until his body froze up and twitched in uncontrollable spasms.  
  
Part of her was grateful that Edward had saved her from the torment, but the other half had to roll her eyes at the chivalry.  
  
Dawn was staring down at Edward, grimacing. Bella started to run to him, but Buffy held her back and pushed her behind her. If James wasn’t out hunting them down, she would have pushed Bella out the door and told her to go home. Instead, she tried to shield her as much as possible as she looked in the shadows for the person causing Edward the pain.  
  
“Jane!”_  
  
The young vampire came into the living room light and took her eyes off of Edward. Buffy stared defiantly into the red irises as they engaged in a staring contest. The vampire’s lips were curved into a sharp smile and paid no attention to Dawn as she walked quickly over to her or to Edward, who stood and blocked Bella along with Buffy.  
  
“Jane,” Buffy repeated, “what are you doing here?”  
  
The vampire raised her head proudly as she kept her stare fixed on the slayer. “You ignored our phone calls. After three missed calls and no returns, Aro was worried. He sent us to find you and make sure weren’t…improperly disposed.”  
  
“’Us’?” she asked, knowing the answer as she as she had asked the question. A body stepped out of the shadow and Buffy sighed. “Demetri.”  
  
Demetri was the best tracker in the world, and ever since he’d caught her scent in Italy, she always had this terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach that he could close his eyes and find her anywhere in the world. It didn’t help that the vampire fixated on her and her “aroma of death” as he put it.  
  
He smirked as he fully came into the light. “Buffy,” he replied.  
  
Dawn glared at the two new vampires then at her. “I told you not to ignore the calls.”  
  
Boldly, Buffy stepped in front of the group. “I don’t have time for this. You’ve checked on me. Now tell Aro I don’t need a babysitter.”  
  
Jane’s eyebrows went up. “You’re busy? And with a Cullen no less?”  
  
It was when Jane’s casual gaze slipped past Edward to Bella, still half-hidden behind Buffy that she tensed. “What’s this?” she murmured.  
  
When Edward fully stepped in front of Bella and snarled, Buffy rolled her eyes. She could have talked her way out of the situation, but when Edward did his rapid puppy impersonation, he blew it.  
  
“She’s no one.” Buffy raised her scythe, trying not to wince as she pulled at her injured shoulder. The minuscule gesture caught the eyes of Jane and Demetri.  
  
“You are hurt?”  
  
“I got into a bit of a tussle. No biggie.”  
  
Demetri took a step forward, his eyes narrowed. “A tussle?” His gaze sharpened on her scythe. “A tussle that required weapons?”  
  
Buffy instinctively tightened her grip on the scythe. “Well, when a vampire tries to kill me, I’ll try to kill it back.”   
  
Judging by the expression on Jane’s face, it was the wrong thing to say. Buffy felt heat on her legs and then the pain became sharp and stinging as it spread through her body. Her lungs burned and her jaw snapped shut as she held a scream in.  
  
The pain suddenly stopped and she was taking in deep breaths, kneeling on the floor, one hand still clenched onto the scythe. Dawn was standing in front of her protectively, blocking her from Jane. Just as her little sister’s key-ness stopped Edward from hearing her thoughts, it stopped Jane from mentally torturing her.  
  
“Broken our agreement already?” Jane asked lightly. “Or did you not understand that you are not to kill our race anymore?”  
  
“A group of vampires attacked her. Now they’re tracking us,” Edward said. “If Aro was here, I would show him.”  
  
“But he is not, and has sent us in his place.”  
  
Buffy got to her feet, taking deep breaths. Her muscles still tensed in pain. “Then we can stay here and you can see for yourself. The vampire named James will be here soon. He pulled the whole ‘I will kill you blah blah blah’ thing after I got slash-happy with his girlfriend. I didn’t kill them.”  
  
Demetri, ever the calm one, turned to Jane. “We have come all this way. Such disobedience against one claiming Volturi protection should not be allowed. And if it is as she says and they were not killed, they will surely be seeking retribution.”  
  
It was the final promise of punishment that calmed Jane and she nodded at Demetri.  
  
“While we wait, we shall get the whole coven together. I have a message for Carlisle,” she said primly. Buffy closed her eyes in defeat. Her secret was out now.  
  
“We will meet you at the Cullen house. Do not be late,” Jane said with a stern glance at Buffy. She resisted making a face. Like she would try. “We’ll just have to retrieve you, and I do not think you will like my method of retrieval.”  
  
As they walked out the door, Demetri gave her one last grin and shut the door behind him.  
  
The house was quiet a moment before Edward whirled around and snarled—actually _snarled_ —at her. “When were you going to tell us you were working for the Volturi? Did they send you here to spy?”  
  
Buffy raised her scythe and pointed it at Edward, her own face hard as stone. “Let’s get one thing straight. I do not voluntarily _work_ for the Volturi. We have an arrangement that more or less means they own me. Trust me, I hate them just as much as you do. I’m doing this to keep my family safe, and if you hadn’t gone all territorial Neanderthal just a second ago, I could have made an excuse for Bella and avoided this whole fiasco. Good job,” she said sarcastically.  
  
Dawn was at her side and put a hand lightly on her arm. “You heard Jane. You know she’ll send Demetri after you for the hell of it. Let’s go.”  
  
“You go,” Edward said firmly. “I’m taking Bella away from here. James is angry about Victoria and will try to kill you, then hunt Bella. I won’t let him hurt her.”  
  
“And if you don’t show up to your house, Jane’s going to go _fire bad, tree pretty_ on your ass and give everyone a taste of what you just felt. Who is more important?”  
  
Buffy could tell Bella was terrified, but also worried for the Cullens. “Edward, I told you that I can’t leave. Charlie will alert the FBI and he’ll never stop looking. And what if James kills him?”  
  
“As long as she’s with me, you know he won’t hurt her,” Buffy said. “If he tries, the Volturi will beat him down.”  
  
Edward looked ready to run with Bella slung over his back. “Jane won’t care. She’ll be happy to let James pursue us for her own sadistic pleasure.”  
  
“Aro won’t let her,” Dawn interrupted, and Edward turned an incredulous gaze to Buffy’s sister.   
  
“You know Aro?”  
  
Dawn snorted. “Who do you think gave us the protection in the first place? He’s infatuated with us. He can’t wait to turn Buffy into a vampire.”  
  
A shiver passed through Buffy’s body. “Not going to happen.”  
  
“Regardless, he won’t let anything happen to us, and Buffy has been able to get them to back off before.”  
  
While that was true, the protection only extended to her slayers as long as they stayed away from the Volturi and that race of vampires. Buffy didn’t know how much this would press her luck. Yes, Aro was intrigued by them, but Marcus and Caius were of the opinion they needed to be put down. It wasn’t a happy thought.   
  
Buffy could see Edward was slowly realizing that there was no way of avoiding Jane and Demetri, especially with the tracker so close by. He eventually nodded and they took the Jeep back to the Cullen house.   
  
Once inside, Buffy noticed everyone gathered around Jane and Demetri, not outright surrounding them, but spreading themselves about in a defensive stance. Buffy made sure she went first, despite the fact that Jane could put her to the ground if she wished.   
  
“Ah, you’ve arrived. Pity. Demetri was looking forward to tracking you down.”  
  
Buffy just glared at Jane. “Yes. I’ve arrived. You can leave now.”  
  
The self-satisfied smile on the vampire’s face told otherwise. “On the contrary. Carlisle asked how we were acquainted. I was just about to tell the story. Why don’t you regale us?”  
  
Buffy tightened her grip on the scythe and kept her stony face. “How about I not?”   
  
The sadistic grin on Jane’s face promised painful heat and Buffy would rather avoid that particular torture. “I have an...agreement with Aro. A few years ago, when we released the essence of the slayer, hundreds of girls who were potential vampire slayers _became_ a slayer. We’ve been traveling the world, picking the girls up and training them. We were in Italy and a group of young trainees attacked members of the Volturi guard. When they were captured and almost killed, I intervened. It was decided that we would not hunt your race of vampire and we would be left alone.”  
  
Demetri was in the shadows and Buffy glanced at him. He raised his eyebrows, encouraging her to finish the story. This was always his favorite part, the bastard.   
  
“And to make up for the lives lost, I have to be their errand girl. I’m a non-official enforcer.” Buffy glared at Demetri. “And I have to check in with them when I change locations or else the bloodhounds get sent after me.”  
  
Buffy didn’t dare look at any of the Cullens, instead turning her glare to Jane. “You’ve checked up on me, now run back to Aro like a good little lap dog.”  
  
Jane was always proud to be called Aro’s favorite, so the insult didn’t hold much weight. Instead, she kept the cool smile on her face. “That was our original plan, but we are here now to address another issue.” With that, her eyes swiftly switched from Buffy to Bella. Her voice grew louder, to carry to all of the Cullens, even though they could easily hear her if she whispered. “You know our rules. Humans are not to know about us. If they do, they are either killed or turned.”  
  
Any icy cold silence fell on the group, and Jane was practically beaming. Jasper was trying to calm everyone down, but Buffy was betting that was hard when he was probably feeling a bit pissed off himself.   
  
Surprisingly, the only one who didn’t seem upset was Bella. She took a step forward before Edward pulled her back. She squirmed a bit and tried to shove him off, but he held on strong. With an irritated expression, she looked to Jane. “Then I’ll become a vampire.”  
  
That statement was no better than Jane’s first declaration. The vampire looked put out that things wouldn’t end in the death of a human.  
  
“Absolutely not,” Edward retorted. He quickly turned Bella back to him and gripped her forearms with too much force, only releasing her when Bella winced. “Bella, you don’t know what you’re asking.”  
  
“Yes, I do, Edward. I would be equal with you,” she replied, a thread of desperation entering her voice. “It’s either become a vampire or die.”  
  
Buffy was glad she was able to witness this part of the conversation, but at the same time, it was too personal to observe. For once, she agreed with Edward that Bella shouldn't become a vampire, but with the Volturi involved, she wasn’t sure if the alternative was much better.   
  
Edward was clearly torn as well. “I don’t want you to become like me, Bella. I like you as you are. There has to be another way.”  
  
Considering the talk they’d had earlier in the day, Buffy knew this was the wrong thing for Edward to say to Bella. Edward’s golden eyes turned to hers and she knew he heard the thought. Using all her knowledge from Willow on how to block someone from reading her thoughts, Buffy shut down her mind and broke eye contact.   
  
“Then if you will not turn her,” Demetri said lightly, prompting everyone to turn their attention from Bella and Edward to him, “there is no other choice but death. We spoke to Aro on this matter after we left your house, and he agrees.”  
  
Edward shoved Bella behind him again. Bella glared at Edward, but Buffy wasn’t sure if it was because he refused to turn her or because he wouldn’t let her speak for herself. “I will not let you kill her.”  
  
“Edward,” Carlisle admonished. Even Buffy knew disobeying a direct order meant death.   
  
“Oh, I will not kill her, and neither will Jane,” Demetri continued. Glittering, blood red eyes locked onto hers and Buffy felt her heart skip a beat. “We’ll leave that to our...non-official enforcer.”   
  
All she could do was blink and leave her jaw dropped open. “You--what? I’m not...I don’t…” She couldn’t even form a complete sentence. “I don’t kill humans!”  
  
Demetri’s smile widened. “Then we will dine on slayer blood. I’ve been wondering if the rumors your blood holds powerful aphrodisiac powers holds true. Void our agreement and this human will not be the only death.”  
  
“There has to be another way,” Buffy said, pleading. There were still slayers in Italy, and she knew Aro could have them round up and brought to Volterra in hours.  
  
“If you do not do your part, she will come to Volterra and her case will be handled there,” Demetri replied. “She is not permitted to stay here as she is.”  
  
Dawn had a tight grip on her arm and Buffy could hear her gasping breath. “Buffy, you can’t let them--”  
  
“I know,” she hissed before turning to Edward. “You have to do it. I hate the thought of her becoming a vampire but it’s better than the alternative. If she gets taken to Italy, they’ll just kill her.”  
  
Bella turned her face up to Edward and was pleading with him. “Why is the thought of me being like you so terrible?”  
  
He seemed so torn that Buffy almost felt sorry for him. “I don’t want you to be like me, Bella.”   
  
The fight flew out of Bella. Her shoulders hunched and her stance deflated. “You would rather me be dead than with you forever. I’m just a shiny toy you can bring out and flaunt when there’s company.”  
  
Buffy winced, hearing the version of her analogy come out of Bella’s lips in a harsh, accusing tone.   
  
“Well it’s not your choice, Edward. It’s my life. I’ll decide what happens to it.”  
  
“Actually, human,” Jane said tightly, “it really isn’t your decision. If you are not turned by your Cullen, you _will_ die.”  
  
Bella whirled around, glaring at Jane with an intensity Buffy had never seen before on the girl. “I wasn’t talking to _you_.” She seemed to catch herself immediately after the words left her mouth, and Buffy was prepared to stand in front of Bella and take the full force of Jane’s mental torture, but it never came. Bella didn’t fall to the ground in pain, only stared at Jane in confusion and a healthy dose of fear. Buffy slowly looked from Bella to Jane.  
  
The vampire had the exact same look on her face when she discovered Dawn was immune to her powers.   
  
“Bella is not susceptible to our...talents,” Carlisle began carefully. “I have a feeling such is the same with yours.”  
  
“Fascinating,” Demetri said, peering at Bella in a new light. “I wonder if Aro could see her.”  
  
“It doesn’t matter,” Jane snapped. “She is to be turned or dead.”  
  
Bella turned to Edward, putting her hand on his cheek. “Will you? Please?” she whispered.  
  
He was giving her a look to rival Angel’s brooding. Heaven help the world if they ever met. “Why can’t you be happy as you are?”  
  
“Why can’t you be happy that I want to spend the rest of eternity with you?” she asked, her hand dropping from his face.   
  
“I...” he trailed off, looking down.   
  
Bella nodded to herself. “Fine.” She detached herself from Edward and walked up to stand next to Buffy. With a deep breath, she raised her head to meet Jane’s cool gaze. “I know that you want me silenced. Since Edward won’t turn me and Buffy won’t kill me, I’ll go with you.”  
  
Buffy just stared at Bella with sadness in her eyes. “Why?”  
  
“Because I think this is what I’m meant to do. And if I can’t do it with the person I love, well... then so be it.” It was quiet. So quiet the only noise she heard was Bella’s heavy breathing.   
  
“What’s to stop us for killing you and not turning you?” Jane asked.  
  
“Nothing,” Bella said honestly. “But I ask that if you do kill me, you do it away from here. I don’t want the Cullens suspected of anything. And I’d like a day to give my excuses.”  
  
Demetri moved with a burst of speed to stand in front of Bella and she jumped. Buffy stood in front of Edward, not wanting this to escalate anymore. _You made your decision. Let her make hers_.   
  
Buffy felt a tremor go through Edward at her thought, but kept her eyes on the vampire in front of Bella.   
  
“You’re making a lot of demands for someone about to die.”  
  
Buffy closed her eyes. So they weren’t going to turn her after all. Bella didn’t look him in the eye; instead she kept her gaze on the floor. “Then isn’t it not a problem?”  
  
Demetri stepped away with a grin. “We will leave tomorrow.”  
  
Jane made a face and looked outside. “We still have to deal with these two vampires who refuse to acknowledge Volturi protection. You have your day to make arrangements. Be here at sunset tomorrow and we will leave.”  
  
Buffy knew a dismissal when she heard one. Jane and Demetri left first and everyone was completely still while they waited for them to be far away before speaking. She was going to stay and talk over what had happened, but when she saw the looks Bella and Edward were exchanging, she grabbed Dawn’s arm and started to pull her away. This was a private family moment they had no business being involved in. She stopped near Carlisle.   
  
“I am so sorry. If I hadn’t ignored their calls, they wouldn’t have come.”  
  
“It is not your fault,” he replied softly. “We are the ones who broke the laws. We would have been found out eventually, and Bella is meeting the end she would have met if she stayed with Edward. It is just coming at a much sooner time.”  
  
She nodded. “We’re going to go home, and we probably won’t be here tomorrow. I expect to get a visit from them again before they leave.” Buffy turned back to the rest of the Cullens. “I really am sorry.”  
  
Buffy and Dawn headed out the front door. She tightened the grip on her scythe just in case James and Victoria were still nearby and hadn’t been dealt with yet. On the way home, she kept her eyes on the road and tried to ignore Dawn’s crying.  
  
...................................  
  
Buffy was almost finished packing up the car. She came across Sam in the woods the night while on her last patrol. Doing what she could, she explained that the vampires killing humans were taken care of, and that the Cullens hadn’t done any harm to a human. She also relayed the message that Bella had gone back to Phoenix, the lie that she came up with to give to Charlie before going with Jane and Demetri to Volterra. They hadn’t heard anything since, and Alice was having problems getting a read on Bella. She said the only time that really happened was when someone wasn’t there to watch. That had been a black day.   
  
She sighed as she put one of the last boxes in the car. This was a trip she was ready to forget.   
  
When Carlisle’s black sedan pulled up and Alice stepped out, Buffy frowned. “Aren’t you supposed to be in school?”  
  
The vampire gave her a small grin as she waltzed up the driveway. “We all took a week off claiming a death in the family. Edward is still refusing to come out of his room. The rest of the family is pretty upset too, and we figured we were liable to become to upset if we were with humans so soon.”  
  
She nodded. Dawn was still upset about the whole thing too, and Buffy was convinced taking her back to Europe was the best thing, so she could be with the rest of their family. “Understood.”  
  
“I knew you were leaving today, and I just wanted to give you this.” Alice held out a small piece of paper that had a date, time, and place written on it in neat script.  
  
“What is this?” Buffy asked.   
  
“I’m not sure. I just saw you here, reading a newspaper with this date and judging by the shadows, it was around that time of day. I recognized the landscape.”  
  
The slayer looked up in confusion. “I’m supposed to be in Rome at seven in the morning nearly two years from now?”  
  
Alice shook her head, and the distress started to show through. “I didn’t see any more than that, and the harder I try, the more of a headache I get.”  
  
Buffy put the paper in her pocket and picked up another box from the ground to put in the car. “Thanks, Alice.”  
  
“I wish I could do more, and I wish that you could stay.”  
  
She gave her a smile. “I know, but this small town is cramping my style. Plus, now that this crisis was somewhat averted, I’ve been told I have another assignment. If you’re ever feeling restless, you and Jasper should visit. The whole family should. We could go shopping.”  
  
It felt wrong to joke after what happened with Bella, but she couldn’t dwell on one lost. She’d learned the hard way that people would be lost to the darkness no matter what she did. She just had to keep on living.   
  
Alice took a step forward and gave Buffy a hug, which she returned. She gripped the cold vampire tightly, more tightly than she would have dared with another human and felt the vampire increase her grip. “Thank you for trying,” she replied. “No matter what happened, this would have happened. I saw it, but this is not the way I wanted it to happen.”  
  
Buffy nodded and took a step back. Alice got back in Carlisle’s car and started speeding off just as Dawn came outside. “Who was that?”  
  
“Alice. Just saying one last goodbye.” Buffy put her arm around Dawn and pulled her into a hug. “Ready to go home?”  
  
Her sister nodded. “Definitely. I’m done with Forks.”  
  
“Think Giles will send us to Spoons?” Buffy asked innocently, and Dawn grinned, but the paper Alice handed her just moments ago burned in her pocket. That was in the future, and this was now. Buffy kissed Dawn on the forehead. “All right. Let’s get loaded up and head out.”  
  
THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you’ve gotten this far, then I want to say thank you for sticking with me until the end. It’s not necessarily a happy ending, unless you don’t like Edward/Bella.
> 
> My goal going into this fic was to make fun of Twilight and screw canon over, but do it in a way that’s not obviously making fun of it. I wanted to do it “realistically”, if that makes sense, or as realistic as sparkling vampires go. In the end of Twilight, Bella got everything she wanted, and nothing ever happens that way. Hence, this story. I would like to think if the Buffy world and the Twilight world were merged together, this is how it could play out.


End file.
